In the lobby, Philadelphia Museum of Art, an afternoon in
July of 1999
Ann: Excuse me, are you Jake?
Simon: No, I’m afraid not.
Ann: Oh, I’m sorry to bother you.
Simon: Hang on a minute. Are you Ann?
Ann: Yes.
Simon: Jake is sick. He tried to phone you to tell you he couldn’t meet
you here, but you were out, so he asked if I’d pop ‘round and deliver
his message in person.
Ann: Oh, I’m sorry. About Jake, I mean. It was really nice of you to
come all the way over here to tell me.
Simon: I just live around the corner. It wasn’t any trouble.
Ann: Well, thanks anyway.
Simon: I’m sorry to have ruined your date.
Ann: It wasn’t a date. Sort of a meeting arranged by a mutual friend.
She asked if I could show him around while he was in town. I didn’t
realize he knew anyone else here.
Simon: He’s in our Los Angeles office. I’ve spoken to him on the
phone a lot, but just met him when he came out.
Ann: Well, I don’t want to hold you up…and since you live nearby you
must come here all the time. It was nice meeting you…
Simon: Simon. My name’s Simon Tinsley. Actually, I’ve never been in
here before. I haven’t been in town long either.
Ann: Where are you from?
Simon: London. My company sent me over here to beat the Y-2K bug. Not
likely to be a problem, if you ask me, but I thought, a trip to the States,
what the hell. I came over in April.
Ann: Well, it’s a great museum.
Simon: It’s a bit grand for Saturday afternoon, you know. Still, since
I’ve made it through the door, do you fancy a look around?
Ann: Sure. I love this place. It’s probably my favorite spot in the
city.
Simon: What shall we look at then?
Ann: They’ve got some amazing stained glass here. And some quite nice
medieval sculpture. And a cloister…It’s French, you know, but pretty
interesting.
Simon: Hmm. Okay, yeah. Let’s go.